In copies of timeshare contracts shown to Claims Directive a vast number of timeshare developers are still taking illegal deposits from prospective buyers, even though this was outlawed under the European timeshare directive.

The banning of taking timeshare deposits was implemented in Europe under the 1994 timeshare directive, however most European countries did not adopt this directive until after 1996.

The timeshare developers were based in Spain, the Canaries and Mallorca, with some not returning illegal deposits even though the clients had cancelled within their cooling off period. Prospective buyers were advised by the sales agents on site, that in Spain the taking of deposits was totally legal, which of course is totally inaccurate.

Timeshare developers have been using different approaches to circumvent the timeshare directive inclusive of applying two contracts to one sale, one with a package holiday deposit and the other with a timeshare purchase, taking a deposit via a credit card facility out of Europe, taking the deposit in the Resorts restaurant whilst getting the clients to sign for a hotel bill, and even changing the dates on a contract to a time after the cooling off period.

In the last 3 months Claims Directive have processed timeshare mis-selling claims from timeshare purchases made in Spain, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza all where illegal deposits have been taken during the cooling off period, these have been from small timeshare developers to well known brands.

Claims Directive and its sponsor are now representing timeshare owners who have been mis-sold a timeshare under the 1994 European timeshare directive.